Translating books is never easy. Translating Harry Potter? Even harder.

Literary Losses

image courtesy of Jump Into a Book

Vera B. Williams, children’s illustrator and author honored for her depictions of diverse, working-class families, died Oct. 16 at the age of 88. Ms. Williams’ artistic talent was evident early in her life; one of her paintings was exhibited at MOMA when she was only 9, as part of a Works Progress Administration exhibition. But she didn’t enter the children’s book field until 1975. Her best-known book is A Chair for My Mother, which features Rosa, a Hispanic girl. Several other Rosa books followed. Williams’ last book, Home at Last, on which she collaborated with another illustrator, will be published posthumously. (Obituaries:Los Angeles Times;New York Times;Publisher’s Weekly. Book list:Goodreads.)

Really Cool / Just for Fun

Boden, the British clothing brand, and the beloved storyteller Roald Dahl both celebrate landmark anniversaries – 25 and 100 years respectively – and to celebrate Boden will bring Dahl’s best-known stories to life in an exclusive collection for children. … Discover hidden details, such as the book print lining on a Matilda-inspired dress or the twilight London landscape printed on pieces for a modern-day Sophie, the heroine of The BFG.